Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel (or Prince
Carl as he was popularly known), was born in
Charlottenlund, Denmark,
on August 3, 1872. He was the second son of Crown Prince
Frederik (later King Frederik VIII) of Denmark and
Princess Lovisa of Sweden,
and the younger brother of the future King Christian
X of Denmark. He was raised in the royal household,
educated at the Danish Naval Academy (from which he
graduated near the bottom of his class), and served
briefly as an officer in the Danish Navy.

On July 22, 1896, Prince Carl married his first
cousin, Princess Maud, youngest daughter of King
Edward VII of England, at Buckingham Palace. Their
only child, Prince Alexander, was born on July 2, 1903.

King of Norway

In 1905, the union of Norway and Sweden was dissolved
and a committee from the Norwegian government set about
finding the best person to become Norway's first king in
centuries. That committee eventually chose Prince Carl
because he was descended from a long line of independent
Norwegian kings, had a son as an heir, and his wife's
ties to the British royal family were seen as
advantageous to Norway. The Prince, however, declined to
accept the crown unless a referendum proved that he was
the true choice of the Norwegian people. Such a
referendum was held, and the choice of Prince Carl was
approved by a 79% majority (259,563 votes to 69,264).

Prince Carl was formally elected by the Norwegian
Storting (Parliament) on November 18, 1905, and was
crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on June 22,
1906. He took the name Haakon VII because Haakon
had been the name of six Norwegian kings during the
Middle Ages.

the coronation of King Haakon

During the first years of Haakon's reign, Norway
experienced an economic boom, thanks to development of
the nation's hydroelectric potential. Although Norway
remained neutral during World War I,
its merchant fleet carried much cargo for the Allies,
adding to the country's economic development. That
economic boom came at a cost, however, as about half of
Norway's merchant ships were sunk by German submarines
and mines. After the war, with most of Europe devastated
and Norway's merchant fleet seriously depleted, the
country's economic boom came to an end. Like most of the
world, Norway suffered during the Great Depression of the
1930's, with almost half the population out of work at
one time.

In the early years of World War II,
Norway found itself threatened by Nazi Germany, which
invaded in the early morning hours of April 9, 1940. Once
a beachhead had been established, a naval detachment was
sent to capture Oslo.
But, as the detachment sailed along the coast, it was
fired upon by Oscarsborg Fortress. The fortress managed
to damage a battleship and sink a heavy cruiser, as well
as inflict heavy losses on German troops, Gestapo agents,
and administrative personnel charged with taking over the
government. The rest of the German fleet was forced to
withdraw, temporarily delaying the planned occupation of
the capital. That delay allowed the royal family, the
Cabinet, and most members of the Storting to escape Oslo
by way of a special train.

The Storting was able to reconvene at Hamar that same
afternoon, but was again forced to flee in advance of the
rapidly approaching Germans. Reconvening at Elverum, the
Storting unanimously adopted the Elverumsfullmakten
(Elverum Authorization), which granted the Cabinet full
authority to protect the country until such time as the
Storting could meet freely again.

Meanwhile, the Germans demanded a meeting with Haakon,
at which they called on the Norwegian people to cease
their resistance and demanded the appointment of a Nazi
sympathizer to lead the government. The German
"diplomat" meeting with Haakon reminded the
king that his brother, Christian X of Denmark, had been
smart enough to surrender to Germany, and threatened that
Norway would be treated harshly if Germany was forced to
take the country. Haakon responded by saying that he did
not have the authority to make such decisions but would
let Germany know what Norway's decision was once the
Cabinet had had a chance to meet. Although Haakon
personally rejected Germany's demands, he informed his
Cabinet that he would be willing to abdicate the throne
should it decide that surrender was Norway's best option.
The Cabinet refused Germany's terms, and unanimously
rallied behind King Haakon VII.

Germany was outraged at Norway's refusal to surrender,
and even more outraged that King Haakon had chosen to
telephone the news rather than convey it in person. On
April 11, 1940, the German Luftwafte bombed the
small town of Nybergsund, where the Cabinet had been
meeting. King Haakon and his ministers were able to take
refuge in a snow-covered forest and escape harm, but the
town was destroyed.

Although Norway and the Allied powers did their best
to stave off the Germans, the Norwegian government was
finally forced to board the British ship HMS Devonshire
and take refuge in London, on June 7. There, King Haakon
and his Cabinet established a government-in-exile, which
formed air force, navy, and some army units to fight
against Germany. Although their country was now in the
hands of the Nazis, the Norwegian people refused to
completely surrender. Throughout the war many citizens
wore clothing or jewelry made from coins bearing Haakon's
"H7" monogram as a symbol of their resistance
to occupation and solidarity with their exiled king. When
King Haakon, his family, and his government returned to
Oslo aboard HMS Norfolk on June 7, 1945, he was
greeted with great enthusiasm and pride by his subjects.

the royal family triumphantly returns to Oslo

In 1945, Norway became a charter member of the United
Nations. The following year, Trygve Lie of Norway became
the first Secretary-General of that body. In 1949, Norway
signed the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization charter, but refused to
allow NATO bases or nuclear weapons in its territory for
fear of angering Russia.

In July 1955, King Haakon VII fell in the bathroom of
his estate, breaking a thighbone. Although there were few
other complications from the fall, the accident left him
confined to a wheelchair. As his health began to decline,
his son began appearing in public on his behalf. The king
died at the Royal Palace on September 21, 1957; he was
succeeded by his son, who took the throne as King Olav V.